OK - but...

There are some confusions between Greek and Roman Gods (for example Pluto is the Roman God of the underworld not Greek, and therefore the story of Pluto and Persephone within this collection should really be about Hades and Persephone). Some of the sentances are quite also written in a quite clumsy manner - this is very noticeble when the stories are being read aloud. My 7 year old enjoys the stories and the beautiful pictures but I was a little disappointed in the mistakes.

Not just the Hero's but Everyman's (and woman's) journey

This is a classic for writers and storytellers and I'm ashamed to say I've only just read it at the age of 56. However, like many profound books, it's a book that means much more when one's ready for it. I'm not sure if I'd read it younger, or at a calm period in my life, that it would have had such an impact, although it's wonderfully researched and beautifully written and would be illuminating on a purely academic level. I read it after going through one of those periods where life throws up one thing after another until it seems more than just coincidence - like some sort of extreme test of one's strength. It helped me to assimilate the experience - recognising the hero's journey in my own, with its entry into dark places, its ordeals, and the eventual emergence with invisible treasure. Looking for the treasure helped me to make meaning from what I had experienced and focus on the positive instead of the negative. Since then I have looked up the myths and started reading some of the books he uses as sources, which is also proving fascinating. It's a book I will read again and again because I know I will find deeper meanings in it with each reading, and it has also given me an insight into the themes of my own life and writing, and sources for stories to tell.

Greek Mythology propperly explained

Having been a bit of a nut for Greek mythology for well over ten years this book seemed like the perfect way to spend the last of those Amazon vouchers. For the price I got it for, it was a bargain and I was not disappointed. Having read the book, I am convinced it is one of the best buys I've gotten in a long while. It is detailed, easy to understand and has the distinct advantage of being an actual translation of the old myths rather than an interpretation. It also has the advantage of having a few extremely helpful maps, genealogy tables as well as an index of names at the back for quick searching.<br /><br />The only problem is, there is a lot of text to get through, with a lot of it being lists of names of who was born of who and who killed who. A few illustrations wouldn't go amiss. But other than that I am extremely glad with this purchase and would recommend it to anyone looking to learn on Greek Mythology, be they beginner or seasoned veteran.

Brilliant starting point to Greek Mythology

<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RHL4GQJN13IWY">Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RHL4GQJN13IWY</a> I wasn't sure when I ordered but this is indeed the same book (newer edition) of the popular The Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends <br /><br />It IS technically a children's book but don't let that deter you. I actually bought this for myself as I've always been interested in Greek mythology and didn't know quite where to start! As you can see from the video, the book is colourful, fun and the information is well-organized. If you want to get into Greek mythology this is as good a place to start as any - better perhaps because the information is presented in such a accessible way! If by the end of the book you are just as fascinated as ever with the ancient Greeks then there are lots of books (for adults) that you can buy but if not, you've not really lost anything and probably saved yourself a small fortune in book-buying!

Interesting & Enjoyable Overview

This book acts as an interesting and thoroughly engaging introduction to Greek Mythology.<br />Starting out with 'How the world was created' according to Greek Legend, with God & Goddess names spread throughout, allowing for a previously versed reader to be refreshed, or for a first time reader to easily learn.<br />The Legends are then told in a short story-like manner, which is an utter delight to read, time and time again.<br />This book is 'light' in it's writing, but gives much information and a great overview of Greek Mythology.<br />I highly recommend this book for both young and old alike. You don't even have to have an interest in Ancient Greek Legends to enjoy this book and the stories within.

lovely Indian Tiger book

I bought this lovely text for use as part of our keystage 2 India topic. The text is quite simple and I use it as starter for some artwork and poetry for the whole class.

Brewers Dictionary

Excellent & very comprehensive reference book. Essential for those interested in the meaning & origins of most commonly used (& many less commonly used) phrases & fables. Thoroughly recommended!

Tales from greek legends

Tales from greek legends is an excellent CD for travelling with the kids in the car. My children enjoyed listening to the adventures of Zeus and of Heracles. After each story we would pause the disc and allow the kids to ask questions and to query the various aspects of the tales. It's perfect for an hours long journey as it keeps the peace and allows the children to familarise themselves with these tales and it enables them to examine and question the works on their own terms and at their own speed.

Truthful book!

This book is based on the philosophy of the nature of us all... greedy and selfish to the extent where we will trample on others to get where we want too! It is also based on the principle that if you want to go down the path of Jesus words 'Blessed are the meek' and 'Blessed are the poor' that is as far as you will get in life... poverty weakness and being somebody's door mat!<br /><br />This book is not about orgys and wild sex as many misinformed bible thumper believe! In fact I have seem more orgies, and adultery in Christian Churches; than I have read in this spiritual book! It is written based on honest and brutal truth whether you like ir or not we are not nice people even our nice nature comes out of selfishness the desire to be liked or praised!<br /><br />If you buy this book, it will change the way you think and look at religion and society. Most Christian Evangalist, like benny Hinn, Peter Popoff, are practising true Satanist! They use religion to fill their lust for power and glory. Anton Lavey tells it as it is there is no heaven or hell it is here you create what you want! if you want to suffer then so mote it be you have chosen it. if you want to give money to slick talking Evangelist then so mote it be either way we are all following the principles of Satanism desire of self. <br /><br />Agnostoc follows that same princpiple everything we do is on the basis of pleasure or we would not do it. There is so much in this book that it will open your mind forever. If you are being bulled, you need to throw the bible in the bin and buy this book it represent the modern truth of makes us all tick... <br /><br />

A WONDERFUL BOOK

When this arrived, I was only just going to flick through it, but couldn't put it down. So many childhood memories and still relevant parodies.

Fantasy dreamland illustrations captivate young children.

This Caldecott Honor winner captivates young children with its entrancing illustrations of a boy's journey through a fantasy dreamland. Since there is no text, children (and adults) are free to make up the story to fit the illustrations in any way they see fit. Another wonderful wordless book by Wiesner is Tuesday.

Ancient

I did not find this book particularly interesting as it contains very little useful information. Perhaps because I am elderly I have used many ancient remedies which were passed down in my family through the generations.<br />The end of the book relating to the church, wise women and witchcraft only shallowly skimmed the suface of the situation.There are a number of books written in the 19C and 20C about witchcraft looking at it from Druidic times and later centuries. The author needs to read the"Malleus Maleficarum" (1486) to appreciate the Church's negative attitudes to wise women. Subsequently the wise women/midwives/nurses had to be licensed by the church in medieval times. The latter stopped with the reformation. There is excellent research and information about the latter at the Royal College of Midwives.<br />I think perhaps it will give readers a taste of what it was like for women in history when families relied on the housewife for treatment to ailments.

Great re-telling of the most memorable Greek myths.

Venerable writer Robert Graves re-tells the most memorable Greek myths in a fun loving style that will entertain children and adults. Graves' narrator voice is sometimes amused, sometimes gently chiding as he describes the adventures of Hercules, the saga of Pandora and her unfortunate box, Midas' tragic touch and Narcissus' self obsession. He also examines the roles and relationships of the twelve Olympians themselves.

This is not a dry textbook style treatment of mythology, but a wonderfully absorbing bunch of yarns that can be read over and over to elementary school children; it will also be a useful reference down the road, when young children become older students. These are great stories, beautifully told.

Excellent

Bought as a xmas gift for my daughter. I chose it through other reviews and she wasn't disappointed. The book arrived quickly despite the weather conditions and was beautifully protected in a good quality plastic wrapping.

Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth

So, having made an enemy of a son of Hades last Christmas, Percy Jackson must be hoping that the new year is a lot better than the last, right?<br /><br />Well, if he is, he's a fool. A game of capture the flag leads to the discovery of an entrance to the mythical Labyrinth, and thus a back-door entrance into camp. Which certain enemies, like say Kronos, Lord of Time and King of the Titans, may use to destroy the camp.<br /><br />And so, another adventure begins for Percy and his friends, who must delve into this maze of wonders, terrors, monsters, friends, foes, and everything else inbetween. Including a monster who really needs to up her personal hygene levels and a friend who has more arms than you can count.<br /><br />In this, the penultimate volume of the series, Riordan neatly sets up his dominoes, while also making the story fun, exciting, and compelling to read. Like the rest of the series to date, you won't be able to put this book down (which I learned the hard way).

A Wicca Classic

Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner is a very well known book that everyone interested or partaking in Wicca has read at some stage in their spiritual development. It is recommended throughout every other book on Wicca or the occult you might read, which first led me to buy this book.<br /><br />I found it beautifully written, but I would only recommend it to someone that is serious about learning Wicca as it puts everything into practise very quickly. Cunningham uses his own experiences as examples which give the book a personal touch, as if he is speaking directly to you. It includes some of Scott Cunningham's own Book Of Shadows, that makes up a nice bit of the book. It's a great example for anyone unsure what A Book Of Shadows is supposed to be or look like.<br /><br />Altogether, this book is packed full of information in a small volume and will become the one of the most read books on Wicca you will own. But, again, I would only recommend it for SERIOUS people with a geniune interest in practicing the Craft.

Don't myth it...

'Mythology for Dummies' is part of the widely-read 'Dummies' series, and lives up to most of the expectations one might have of a volume in that series. It has the requisite cartoons, the various side-bar items throughout the text, and the the top-ten lists at the end - in this case, the Top Ten Places (which includes Vahalla, Elysium, Atlantis, even Brigadoon) and the Top Ten Monsters (Gorgons, Unicorns, the Sphinx, dragons, etc.).

This is a volume of mythology is not just classical Greek and Roman mythology (that which most people think of when they think of mythology). It does include these in good measure, but also goes further afield to include an overview of the main characters, stories and ideas of mythological constructs in cultures all over the world. These include some that are familiar and related to the Greco-Roman traditions - Egypt, ancient Mesopotamia, Celtic and Nordic mythologies. There are also those that are quite removed from this collection of pantheons - the Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Native American traditions of mythology are also included here.

The first section gives a brief overview of what mythology is and isn't. It doesn't go too deeply into the debate over religion (after all, one person's mythology might be another person's religion). It does give some insight into the purpose of such stories for the cultures that maintained them, and how we have come to regard such tales in more modern times. Mythology is not just about gods, goddesses and monsters, after all. Often there is a very strong human component in the myths, which can serve for ethical and moral instruction as well as inspiration. These are written in the witty style typical of the series - 'How to spot a myth a mile away' is one section title. Mythology is also shown to be not something exclusively of the ancient world - American myths such as Johnny Appleseed and Br'er Rabbit are highlighted as examples.

Some of the stories included here fall more under the category of 'legend' than 'mythology' in popular definition - the stories of King Arthur, for example, do fall under the category of mythology, although it is rarely assigned such categorisation for a host of reasons. However, the Arthurian legends are contained here (one section is entitled 'Sex, Lies, and Good Jousting'). The text also ventures into the delicate area of the parallels between ancient Mesopotamian legends and early Biblical stories - tales such as the Tower of Babel and the Great Flood bear striking similarity to many extra-canonical tales in the ancient region.

The prose is good and accessible, like most of the Dummies books. There are some graphics and line-art drawings, and the chapters are short enough for the typical reader to finish easily in one sitting. This is a fun way to learn the old stories, and relate them to modern times. I would recommend this book for adults with a general interest, and also for undergraduate students and even high school students who want a survey of the material.

For the first time in 2000 years...

Geza Vermes' book, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, is a worthy capstone to a long and distinguished scroll career. Vermes entire career, from his student days to this present work, has been concentrated largely on the Dead Sea Scrolls and related topics. His doctorate in 1953 was completed with a dissertation on the historical framework of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is difficult to find any scholar with as complete a knowledge of the scrolls as has Vermes; it is impossible to find one who knows them better.

This book was released in 1997, 50 years from the time the first Arab shepherd climbed into a cave in search of a wandering animal and instead fell upon the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Following the 'revolution' of 1991 (to use Vermes words), everyone interested could have unfettered access to the Scrolls, and yet, as inaccessible as they had been previously due to physical restriction, they remained just as inaccessible due to the problem of language and translation.

'In addition to the English rendering of the Hebrew and Aramaic texts found in the eleven Qumran caves, two inscribed potsherds (ostraca) retrieved from the Qumran site and two Qumran-type documents discovered in the fortress of Masada, and brief introductory notes to each text, this volume also provides an up-to-date general introduction, outlining the history of fifty years of Scroll research and sketching the organisation, history and religious message of the Qumran Community.'

This is the latest volume of a series: when Vermes first published an edition in 1962 (then 15 years after the discovery of the first scrolls), the book had 262 pages; the current edition has 648. The introduction deals with a brief sketch of the history of research (including a bit on the controversies, such as not allowing Jewish scholars to work on these Jewish texts, the close-guarding and restrictive access of the scrolls by the scholars); further issues in the introduction address current research, including questions of dating, provenance, and perhaps, most importantly, the meaning and significance of the Qumran texts.

Vermes puts together a three-part essay on his view (as well as a little on alternative views) of who was the community at Qumran, the history of that community, and the religious ideas of the community.

This is where we get into the text of the Scrolls in earnest. Vermes begins with The Community Rule a large document that listed the requirements and a penal code. This is best known as the Manual of Discipline. Composition may have begun about 100 BCE, and several fragmentary remains exist of copies of the manual.

'There are, to my knowledge, no writings in ancient Jewish sources parallel to the Community Rule, but a similar type of literature flourished amogn Christians between the second and fourth centuries, the so-called 'Church Orders' represented by works such as the Didache, the Didascalia, the Apostolic Constitution.'

From the Rules and variants, including the now-infamous MMT text, which provoked international lawsuits for violating the 'copyright' exerted by one Scroll scholar on its contents, Vermes proceeds to examine Hymns and Poems; Calendars, Liturgies and Prayers; Apocalyptic Works (which have the greatest appeal to many imminent eschatologically-inclined sects today); Wisdom Literature; Bible translations, commentaries, and apocryphal works; and Miscellanea, including objects such as the Copper Scroll (a rare form, not on parchment, which reads like an accountant's register of treasure), and lists, including the List of False Prophets.

For anyone interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls in any serious way, this is an essential book. With various 'complete' scroll editions and collections being released, this edition, produced by one who has devoted his life to scroll studies, remains one of the best, most complete and clearly translated.

The one drawback, which will only affect those whose interest extends to the study of Roman-period Hebrew and Aramaic, is that there is no photographic imagery or recreation in Hebrew/Aramaic script to show the actual scroll text so that one might make a personal study of the accuracy of the translation. Thus, this text works best for that purpose in conjunction with another translation, or with the very-expensive scroll photographic plate sets now available.

But, for most any use from general interest to scholarship, this volume will serve the reader well.

not quite the origins of mankind

Could this, should this, book have been two books really? The author delves into the origins of what we, as humans, now deem to be fictional monsters, such as gorgons, gryphons but which the Greeks took very seriously and our current predilection for vampires, werewolves and the like. It is a fascinating journey and this could be a book on its own. But it's not long before we face the author's dilemma, the serial killer ad the fanatical terrorist.<br /><br />The author has researched these horrors well enough but, even so and regrettably, we are still faced with little explanation as to why some humans commit these foul deeds.<br /><br />I posed the question as to whether this should be two books but, in the end, monsters of yesteryear were created by the ignorance of humans, rather as sacrifices were made to appease ancient gods and today's monsters have been probably similarly created by ignorance. Just how this problem can be addressed, if not resolved will be the subject of another book some time hence, assuming we're still around to work it out. And, given our fascination for all things unexplained or just plain inexplicable, that's more than likely. Asma does lay down some guidelines for the future but from past endeavours it seems unlikely we'll learn from history.<br /><br />When you buy this book the author's journey will take you deep into our own anxieties and weaknesses but it's not difficult to stray over the line into irrational thoughts. Asma has done his research diligently, interpreting his findings leaves the reader minimising the monsters of old but feeling rather less secure about the monsters of the future.<br />